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never bold enough to say before) how much I like him. His behaviour to us has, in every respect, been as
pleasing as when we were in Derbyshire. His understanding and opinions all please me; he wants nothing
but a little more liveliness, and that , if he marry prudently , his wife may teach him. I thought him very
sly;-he hardly ever mentioned your name. But slyness seems the fashion. Pray forgive me if I have been
very presuming, or at least do not punish me so far, as to exclude me from P. I shall never be quite happy
till I have been all round the park. A low phaeton, with a nice little pair of ponies, would be the very
thing. But I must write no more. The children have been wanting me this half hour. Your's, very sincerely,
"M. Gardiner."
The contents of this letter threw Elizabeth into a flutter of spirits, in which it was difficult to determine
whether pleasure or pain bore the greatest share. The vague and unsettled suspicions which uncertainty
had produced of what Mr. Darcy might have been doing to forward her sister's match, which she had
feared to encourage, as an exertion of goodness too great to be probable, and at the same time dreaded
to be just, from the pain of obligation, were proved beyond their greatest extent to be true! He had
followed them purposely to town, he had taken on himself all the trouble and mortification attendant on
such a research; in which supplication had been necessary to a woman whom he must abominate and
despise, and where he was reduced to meet, frequently meet, reason with, persuade, and finally bribe,
the man whom he always most wished to avoid, and whose very name it was punishment to him to
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pronounce. He had done all this for a girl whom he could neither regard nor esteem. Her heart did
whisper, that he had done it for her. But it was a hope shortly checked by other considerations, and she
soon felt that even her vanity was insufficient, when required to depend on his affection for her, for a
woman who had already refused him, as able to overcome a sentiment so natural as abhorrence against
relationship with Wickham. Brother-in-law of Wickham! Every kind of pride must revolt from the
connection. He had to be sure done much. She was ashamed to think how much. But he had given a
reason for his interference, which asked no extraordinary stretch of belief. It was reasonable that he
should feel he had been wrong; he had liberality, and he had the means of exercising it; and though she
would not place herself as his principal inducement, she could, perhaps, believe, that remaining partiality
for her, might assist his endeavours in a cause where her peace of mind must be materially concerned. It
was painful, exceedingly painful, to know that they were under obligations to a person who could never
receive a return. They owed the restoration of Lydia, her character, every thing to him. Oh! how heartily
did she grieve over every ungracious sensation she had ever encouraged, every saucy speech she had
ever directed towards him. For herself she was humbled; but she was proud of him. Proud that in a cause
of compassion and honour, he had been able to get the better of himself. She read over her aunt's
commendation of him again and again. It was hardly enough; but it pleased her. She was even sensible of
some pleasure, though mixed with regret, on finding how steadfastly both she and her uncle had been
persuaded that affection and confidence subsisted between Mr. Darcy and herself.
She was roused from her seat, and her reflections, by some one's approach; and before she could strike
into another path, she was overtaken by Wickham.
"I am afraid I interrupt your solitary ramble, my dear sister?" said he, as he joined her.
"You certainly do," she replied with a smile; "but it does not follow that the interruption must be
unwelcome."
"I should be sorry indeed, if it were. We were always good friends; and now we are better."
"True. Are the others coming out?"
"I do not know. Mrs. Bennet and Lydia are going in the carriage to Meryton. And so, my dear sister, I
find from our uncle and aunt, that you have actually seen Pemberley."
She replied in the affirmative.
"I almost envy you the pleasure, and yet I believe it would be too much for me, or else I could take it in
my way to Newcastle. And you saw the old housekeeper, I suppose? Poor Reynolds, she was always
very fond of me. But of course she did not mention my name to you."
"Yes, she did."
"And what did she say?"
"That you were gone into the army, and she was afraid had not turned out well. At such a distance as
that , you know, things are strangely misrepresented."
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